Cutting device for button-hole sewing-machines



'(NQ Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 1.

`J. A.OST'ERHOUT & J. P. HALLENBECK. CUTTING DEVICE TOR BUTTON HOLBSTWTNGMAGHTNTS.

y No; 402,610. Patented May TZ, 1889.

kg E ST l Il =.v i(

I MTNEESEE (No Modem 5 sheets-sheet zu.

J. -AVJOSTERHOUTSU J. 1?. HALLENBBOK. UTTI'NG DEVICE FR BUTTON HG1-.IE SEWING MACHINES. I

No. 402.6104. Patented May 7, 1889.

(No Modem kLA. OSTERHOUTXU J. P. HALLENBECK. CUTTINCr DEVICE ECE BUTTON HOLE SEWING MACHINES.

No. 402,610. Patented May 7,1889.

5 ,Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.) 5 sheetssheet 4.

J; A. OSTERHOUT au J. P. HALLENBEGK. CUTTING DEVICE EOE BUTTON HOLE SEWING MAGHINES.

No. 402.610. Patented VMay 7,1889.,

Nall@ "Nn MTNEEEE l INVENTDF I g1; P-

M Jg@ (No Model.)

V 5 sheets-sheet 5.v J. A. OSIERIIOUT` 8u J. P. I-IALLENBECK.' CUTTING DEVICE EORBUITON HOLE SEWING MACHINES.

1\I0.l1.02,610.4 Patented May' 7, 18.89.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES A. OSTERHOUT, OF TROY, AND JOSEPH P. HALLENBEOK, OF NEW YORK, A'SSIGNORS TO THE NATIONAL MACHINE COMPANY, OF TROY,

NEV YORK.

CUTTING DEVICE FOR BUTsTON-HOLE SEWING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part ofV Letters Patent No. 402,610, dated May 7, 1889. Application filed July 8, 1888. Serial No. 278,984. (No model.)

T0 all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, J AMES A. OsTERHoUT, of the city of Troy, county of Rensselaer, and State of New York, and JOSEPH B. HAL- LENBECK, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Button-Hole Sewing- Machine Attachments; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, that will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being` had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a partof this specification.

Similar letters refer to similar parts in the several figures therein.

Our invention relates to improvements in button-hole sewing-machine attachments for cutting button-holes; and it consists of the novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

The objects of the invention will be made to appear in connection with the following description.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a side elevation 0f a button-hole sewing-machineprovsidedwith our improved attachments. Fig. 2 is a similar View illustrating the movements of parts of the attachment and machine. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the machine and attachments shown in Figs. l and 2, having `the front plate of the machine-head removed. Fig. 4 is la plan view of a portion of fabric, showing a iinished button-hole. Fig. 5 is a plan View of apreferred form of button-holing attachment for sewing-machines,which we employ in connection with our improved attachments for cutting the button-holes. Fig. 6 represents a section taken on-a vertical line passing through the center of the post e, as seen when looking toward the front Vend of the machine with'the intersected portion of the bracket supporting standard removed and representing the slide-bar and bar-detaching posts in the relative positions shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 7 is a similar view of some of the parts shown in Fig. 6, showing the slidebar supported by the auxiliary post e8 after the bar has been detached thereby from the screw b3. Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the part-s shown in Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the slide-bar b detached.

We have shown some of the well-known parts of a sewing-machine, as bed-plate A, bracket-arm A', head A2, supported thereby, driving-shaft A3, drive-wheel A4, needle-bar A5, and needle AG; also in Fig. 5 most of the mechanism shown and described in United States Patent No. 252,052, dated January l0, 1882, forming a preferred button-holing attachment for sewing-machines and employed by us in connection with our improved attachment. I

The preferred method of making buttonholes with button-hole sewing-machines is to first insert two parallel rows of zigzag stitches of the length and form desired for the buttonhole, and'afterward cut a slit in the fabric between the rows of stitching, as shown in Fig. l, g and g being the rows of stitching,

and the line g2 representing the slit out through the fabric between the rows. The slit is generally cut by a chisel-shaped cutter forced down through the fabric, and such cutters have been heretofore applied to button-hole sewing-machines and adapted 1o be actuated thereby when placed in engagement therewith.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide for the automatic engagement and disengagement of a button-hole cutter with actuating button-hole sewing-machine mechanisms.

projecting laterally from the cutter-bar, rests in the receiving-slot a3 in the needle-bar, and

the cutter-bar is forced thereby to partake of the vertical movements of the pitman-actuated needle-bar.

The cutter is shown by the solid lines in the respective figures at its limit of upward vibration and by the dotted lilies in Fig. 3 near its limit of downward vibration, and in the position occupied when about to enter the fabric. The limits of rotary movements areshown by the solid and dotted lines in Fig. 2, as will be more fully explained hereinafter.

As a preferred means for communicating ro the cut-ter-bar a reciprocatory rotary movement to cause its engagement and disengagement with the needle-bar at the proper times and in the proper position to slit the fabric, we provide the reciprocatory slide-bar l), slotted at its forward end at b to slide upon screw b2, fixed upon the machine-head, the other end of the slide-bar being supported by the camfollower screw b3, fixed upon the lever d. The forward end of the slide-bar is provided with an arm, a, which is pivoted by pin ai to one edge of the rock-lever plate a8, slot-ted to receive the feather a on the cutter-bar, whereby the reciprocatory slide movements of the bar communicate to the cutterbar rotary movements, and the vertical movements of the needle-bar communicate vertical movements to the cutter-bar, the latter sliding in the lever-plate, which retains the cutter at the right angle of rotation to enter the fabric on a line parallel with the rows of stitching. The slide-bar Z) is reciprocated with lever l by screw bfi, which is actuated by a switch-.cam fixed upon the driving-shaft andindicated by dotted lines in Fig. l. The slide-bar is provided with an open-ended slot, b5, adapted to receive the screw b3, secured to the lever, also with the downwardly-projecting head b6hav ing the beveled orinclined face bl. The lever d is pivoted intermediately of its ends upon the pivot d', vertically adjustable in slots d2 in a pair of ears, d3, fixed upon or forming a part of the bed-plate A. The lever is pivotally connected at its lower end with the vibratory plate which imparts the to-and-fro movements to the cloth-clamp.

\Vhen the stem of screw b3 is seated in the slot L5, the slide-bar partakes of the vibratory movements of the lever and imparts to t-he cutter-bar a reciprocatory rotary movement; but when the slide-bar is lifted to the position shown in Fig. 1 the screw b3 does not engage with the.. slide-bar, and the latter, as well as the cutter-bar, remains inactive. It is evident that the bar may be lifted by hand and dropped into engagement with the screw again when it is desired to cut the slit; but we have provided mechanism for automatically effecting the engagement and disengagement of the bar with the screw, whereby the cutter is brought into action just as the stitching for the button-hole is complete. As a part of such mechanism we make use of a rock-lever post, e, adj ustably fixed at its lower end, as by a set-screw, cl", upon a pivot, c', rotary in a fixed bearing, e2. The upper end or head of the post is provided with a beveled or 1nclined face adapt-ed to engage With the similarly-beveled face of the slide-bar. The post is connected with a fixed portion of the machine, as ear d3, by means of a spring, e4, Fig. 3. The slide-bar is similarly connected by a spring, e5. When the lever d, through the screw lf2, engages with the slide-bar to impart to it reciprocatory movements, the movement to the left, as viewed in Figs. l and 2, causes the two beveled surfaces of the bar and post to engage each other, and the bar slides up onto the top of the post, as shown in Fig. l, which lifts the bar to a height suihcient to effect its disengagement from the lever, so that during the next vibratory movement of the lever to the right the screw b3 will slide along on the lower side of the bar and back again without communicating any movement to the bar. To effect the engagement of the bar with the lever, it isonlynecessary to rotate the post on its pivot to force it outward until its upper end passes from under the beveled projection of the bai-,whereupon the spring ci forces the bar down into engagement with the lever, the screw b3 entering the slot b5 and the parts occupying the position shown by the solid lines in Figs. 2 and 6. The bar immediately partakes of the movements of the actuating-lever, and the parts travel to the position shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 2. It is only necessary, therefore, to provide some tripping device for pushing the post out from under the bar at the time it is desired to cut the button-hole slit to render the engagement of the cutter automatic. We provide for this purpose the crank-lever e, fixed upon the pivot e', and having a bevel-faced head, e7, adapted to engage a similarly-beveled trip, E', fixed upon the crank-wheel F, which forms a part of the mechanism constituting a preferred buttonhole attachment for sewing-machines, fully shown and described in said Patent No. 252,052, the principal parts of which only we have shown in Fig. 5, wherein it will be seen that the plate Il is adapted to slide to and fro between the ways T and T2 on the bed-plate K, which rests when in use upon the bedplate of the main plate A. (Not shown in Fig. 4.) rlhe slide-plate His provided with an upwardly-projecting lug, H', to which the lower end of the actuating-lever l is pivoted. The plate R, provided with the slot q, is adjustably secured to the plate H bythe adjustingscrew q', passing through said slot, being guided by the ways T, secured to or forming part of plate ll. The plate Ris also provided with transverse guideways R', to which the feed-bar P is attached, whereby the bar, partaking of the vibratory movements of the plate 1I, can also be given a relatively transverse step-by-step movement by means of the pitman F2, connecting the follower R2, secured to the feed-bar, with crank-pin F, radially adjustable on the rotary crank-wheel IIO F, and provided with a handle, F4, by whichy the crank-wheel may be `rotated by hand when desired.

Regular step-by-step rotary movements may be imparted to the crank-Wheel by the hand or by some known mechanism connected with plate H-such as that shown and described in said Patent No. 252,052 and partly shown in Fig.- 6.

During one half of the period of revolution of the crank-wheel F step-by-step progressive movements in one direction are coin'- municated to .the cloth-clamp P P to stitch one side of the button-hole, and during the remaining half period of revolution a similar retrogressive movement-in the opposite direction is communicated -to the cloth-clamp to stitch the opposite side of the button-hole,

and thespring e4 to bring the from which it is apparent that the crankwheel makes just one revolution during the entire operation of inserting the stitches for 'each button-hole. By securingthe trip E to the crank-wheel in a position such that it will engageV with and lift the-lever e6 when the last retrogressive step-by-step movement is given the cloth-clamp, the cutter will be forced down through the fabric simultaneously with the final downward thrust of the needle, thereby simultaneously lcutting the` slit and completing the insertion of the two lines of stitching` and finishing the buttonhole. After the trip passes beneath the leverhead e7 to lift it, it must remain there until the succeeding step-by-step movement or movements of the crank-wheel carry it past the lever-head and permit the latter to drop beveled post e back in line with the bar b.v It is necessary, therefore, either to impart to the crankwheel by hand, after the button-hole is completed with the slit, such a rotary movement as will release the lever-head e7 from trip E or to providesome substituteV for the beveled post to lift the bar b up from engagement with the lever d or its projecting screw b3, while the tripholds the lever-head in an elevated position, to prevent the bar from forcing the cutter-bar into engagement with the needle-bar during two or more successive downward vibrations of the latter. We provide for this purpose an auxiliary beveled post, e8, pivoted at its lower end upon the post e at e, and provided with a spring, @10, which, bearing against some fixed stop, as the vbracket-arm of the machine, forces the auxiliary post against the stop cl2 4on the post e. The auxiliary post is a trifle higher than the post e, and bears against the contiguous side` of the head t@ of the bar, while the latter rests upon the top of the post e, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3. lVhen thepost eis forced out from under the bar or head b5 by the engagement of lever e6 with the trip, the barfalls. into engagement with lever d and is forced forward, as before explained, and the stop cl2 is forced out from the auxiliary post, as shown by the dotted line e13 in Fig. 3 and by solid lines in `sition shown in Figs. 7 and 8.

Fig; 6. In its forward movement the bar is carried past the auxiliary post, thereby releasing the latter, so that its spring @10 forces it out against the stop @12 and in line with the bar, and when the bar returns in its backward vibratory movement it is forced up the beveled surface upon the top of the auxiliary post, which disengages the bar from the lever d in the same manner that it was disengaged by the post e, the parts then occupying the po- The bar remains out of disengagement upon the auxiliary post until the trip is carried past the lever-head e7, whereupon the spring e4 forces both posts back to the position shown by the solid lines in Fig. 3, the stop @12 forcing the auxiliary post out from beneath the bar and permitting the latter to fall upon the top of post e in the position shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 3, where it remains until another button-hole is stitched and another revolution of the crank-Wheel brings the trip `into engagement with the lever-head e7, the operation being automatically repeated as often as button-holes are stitched.

What we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is x l.` The-combination, with a buttonhole sewing-machine, of a button-hole cutter, a rotary and vertically-reciprocatory cutter-bar, means for communicating to such bar rocking and vertically-reciprocating movements consisting of the slide-bar b, connected at one end with the arm awhich arm is splined to the cutter-bar, and detachably connected at the other end with the sewing-machine driving mechanism, the vertically-reciprocating needie-bar, and means for engaging and disengaging the cutter-bar therewith, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with a buttonhole vsewing-machine, of a button-hole cutter, a rotary and vertically-reciprocatory cutter-bar, means for communicating to such bar rocking and vertically-reciprocating movements, consisting of the slide-bar b, connected at one endV with the arm as, which arm is splined to the cutter-bar, and at the other end with the sewing-machine driving mechanism, the vertically-reciprocating needle-bar, and means for engaging and disengaging the cutter bar therewith, a spring-controlled slide-bar-detaching post, e, provided at its upper end with a beveledv head adapted to engage said slidebar and fixed at its lowerend upon a rockshaft, said rock-shaft, trip-lever e, fixed upon said rock-shaft, and a trip, E', fixed upon the feed-wheel of the clamp-moving mechanism, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a vbutton -hole sewing-machine, of a button-hole cutter, a rotary and vertically-reciprocatory cutter-bar, means for communicating to such bar rocking and vertically-1'eciprocating movements, .consistin g of the slide-bar b, connected at'one end with the arm d8, which arm is splined to the cutter-bar, an d at the other end with the sew- IOO IIO

IZO

ew, and stop e, secured to one post and 15 adapted to engage with the other, subst-antially as described.

In testimony whereof We have hereunto set our hands Jhis 21st dey of June, 18857.

JAMES A. OSTERIIOUT. JOSEPH P. HALLENBECK.

Witnesses to signature of Osterhout:

GEO. A. MosHER, W. II. HOLLISTER, Jr. \Vitnesses to signature of Hullenheek:

THOMAS QUIST,

N. C. TEMPLETON. 

